Story+2000-04-03+Portland,+OR

“(Clarence: “Ladies and gentlemen…Brothers and Sisters, all rise”) (crowd cheers)…Yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah, yeah, yeah…are you ready tonight, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…I’m so glad to be here tonight! (crowd cheers) yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah, yeah, yeah…are you ready tonight, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, intro to “The Ties That Bind”**

“Alright, Nils will be filling in for Patti there (chuckles)…Patti’s not here tonight but the boys are gonna do their best for you (crowd cheers)…”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, intro to “My Hometown” (following “Rendezvous”)**

“(Sings a bit of “It’s Alright” and “Take Me to the River”) that’s right…that’s where I wanna go tonight...I wanna find that river…I wanna go to that river of life…and that river of love...that river of faith…and hope...I wanna find that river sanctification where you can be blessed…and that river of transformation where you can be changed…and that river of resurrection where everybody gets a second chance...that river of happiness…and of sexual healing and companionship (crowd cheers) that river of good times! (crowd cheers) there’s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me (crowd cheers) ‘cause that’s why we’re here…because you can’t there by yourself (crowd cheers) you can’t get there by yourself...and tonight I want to have a rock’n’roll exorcism (crowd cheers) that’s right!...a rock’n’roll baptism...wash me in the water of those good things…but once as a young man…I stood in the evening in front of a dark grove of trees...and like a little child I was frightened to pass through those trees...even though I knew that on the other side was…the river of a meaningful life and cold beer at a reasonable price (crowd cheers) but I couldn’t go on…I was frightened…and a gypsy woman just in the trees beckoned me forward, she said “Son, what you need, what you’ve got to have, what you’ve got to have to get through these dark trees is you need some help, you need some companionship – what’s your line of business? – what you need is you need a band!” (crowd cheers) and that’s why I’d like to introduce tonight the Dean of the university of musical perversity, the Secretary of intelligence, on the piano, Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) on the bass guitar, the foundation of the E Street nation, Southern man, Mr. Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) Minister of faith and friendship and keeper of all that is righteous and star of the Sopranos-TV show, Little Steven Van Zandt (crowd cheers) stand with me, Brother, at the riverside… standing at the riverside the Minister of the Mighty Beat, the man that brings the power night after night after night and star of Late Night television: Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums (crowd cheers) the mightiest of them all (chuckles)…Secretary of heart and spirit, Godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) Minister of mystery and all things unfathomable on E Street, Brother Dan Federici on the organ (crowd cheers) I gotta send one out to my baby (blows a kiss)…and then last but not least (crowd cheers) that’s right (crowd cheers) last but not least…the Minister of soul, Secretary of the brotherhood...and if we lived in a righteous land, the next President of the United States (crowd cheers) do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”)… (…) The E Street Band! (crowd cheers) the legendary E Street Band! (crowd cheers)…”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, intro to “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”**

“Thank you…gonna send this one out tonight to the Oregon Foodbank, they’re here with us (crowd applauds) an important organization here in Oregon, they collect food and they distribute it to grassroots organizations throughout the state (?) and Washington and, uh, those organizations provide sustenance and support for Oregon’s struggling citizens, there’s many, many people, particularly the working poor, who the economy isn’t getting down to and they can use your support, the Oregon Foodbank, for every buck that you donate, they can distribute ten dollars’ worth of food and that’s a big deal (crowd applauds) you can see them out in the hall tonight, this is for them…”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, intro to “The Ghost of Tom Joad”**

“Could I have some light here?...(?)…no?...I need a little light for the front (chuckles)…yeah!...oh…I also want to, uh, say that there’s some other folks with us tonight…and they’re from the “Life for a Life”-Campaign (some applauds) and, uh…(?) signatures on a petition that would place a measure for appeal on death penalty on the ballot here in November for you to vote on (crowd applauds) and it’s an initiative that’s supported by Governor Kitzhaber and Senator Hetfield so if you’d like your voice to be heard on the appeal on death penalty here in Oregon or if you’d like to simply find out some information on these issues, they’ll also be out in the hall tonight…so check out folks from the “Life for a Life”-Campaign, let your voice be heard (crowd applauds) this is for them…”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, intro to “Dead Man Walkin’”**

“Portland! (crowd cheers) Portland! (crowd cheers) but everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve seen people lost…in confusion...I’ve seen people lost …in the wilderness...I’ve seen people lost…in bitterness…I’ve seen people lost…in loneliness…but tonight I’m here on a search-and-rescue mission…and what I want to tell you is if you’re downhearted, if you’re dispirited, if you’re disgusted, if you’re dispossessed, if you’ve been analyzed, downsized, stigmatized, Republicanized (crowd cheers) retropsychedelicized, fractionalized, factionalized, Pokemonized…and I know you have…I’m here tonight to re-educate, to resuscitate, to regenerate, to re-confiscate, to re-indoctrinate, to re-illustrate, to re-re-re-recombobolate, to re-sexualate, to re-congregate, to re-liberate you with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery...with the ministry of rock’n’roll! (crowd cheers) with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery…with the ministry of rock’n’roll! (crowd cheers)(?)…now, unlike my competitors, I shall not…I will not…I can not…promise you life everlasting...but I can promise you life…right now! (crowd cheers) and all you got to do is raise your hand and say “I” (Bruce and the crowd start going “I”)...”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, middle of “Light of Day”**

“Are you ready to rumble? (crowd cheers)…”
 * 03.04.00 Portland, OR, intro to “Ramrod”**

//Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//